Aleppo

"Syria’s recent torments have been so heart-breaking one scarcely feels able to recommend anything about the country. Philip Mansel’s Aleppo is an exception, however, a tremendous reminder that what made this city – and others in the Middle East – great was its outward-looking, trade-friendly cosmopolitanism."

Justin Marozzi is a writer and historian. His latest book, 'Baghdad: City of Peace, City of Blood', was awarded the Royal Society of Literature’s Ondaatje Prize for 2015. @justinmarozzi